News Alert: Immediate Import Restrictions on Certain Mexican Fish and Fish Products

In the latest CBP’s Cargo Systems Messaging Service notice (CSMS #18-000484),  immediate import restrictions on shrimp, curvina, sierra and chano fish and fish products harvested by gillnets in the upper Gulf of California within the vaquita’s geographic range have been imposed. Seafood products of Mexican origin are impacted by the import restrictions based on the HTS codes.

Products that are not caught with gillnets deployed in the range of the vaquita in the upper Gulf of California waters in Mexico will be allowed entry provided that they are accompanied by a “U.S. Import Certification of Admissibility”. The “U.S. Import Certification of Admissibility” may be submitted to CBP by the Document Imaging System, e-mail, fax or hardcopy form.

Please click on the link to access the list of HTS Codes subject to these restrictions:

https://csms.cbp.gov/docs/23687_550050611/List_of_HTS_s.pdf

Flegenheimer International will need a U.S. Import Certification of Adminissibility for all seafood products (Country of Origin: Mexico)

To Read the Full CSMS:

CSMS#18-000484: Import restrictions on Certain Mexican Fish and Fish Products.

In response to a United States Court of International Trade order (Slip-Op 18-92) and in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is imposing immediate import restrictions on fish and fish products from Mexico caught with gillnets deployed in the range of the vaquita, a species of porpoise endemic to northern Gulf of California waters in Mexico and listed as an endangered species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

This action prohibits the importation into the United States from Mexico of all shrimp, curvina, sierra, and chano fish and fish products harvested by gillnets in the upper Gulf of California (UGC) within the vaquita’s geographic range. To effectuate the court order, the importation into the United States of shrimp, curvina, sierra, and chano fish and fish products under the HTS codes listed below, caught with a gillnet within the vaquita’s range, is prohibited. Any shrimp, curvina, sierra, and chano fish and fish products not caught by gillnet in the vaquita’s range and imported under the HTS codes listed below from Mexico as country of origin must be accompanied by the certification set forth below upon arrival.

CBP also is requiring that all other fish and fish products not within the scope of the import restrictions but imported under the HTS codes listed below from Mexico as country of origin be accompanied by the following certification upon arrival:

U.S. IMPORT CERTIFICATION OF ADMISSIBILITY:

As the Importer of Record or duly authorized official/agent of the importer of record, I do hereby certify, to the best of my knowledge and belief, that the fish/fish products contained in this shipment are of species of fish or fish products, or from fisheries, not caught with gillnets deployed in the range of the vaquita, in the upper Gulf of California waters in Mexico.

___________________________________

Printed Name (Importer/Agent)

___________________________________

Signature

___________________________________

Date

___________________________________

Telephone

___________________________________

E-mail

If a completed U.S. IMPORT CERTIFICATION OF ADMISSIBILITY is not filed, then the entire shipment must be denied entry.

This U.S. IMPORT CERTIFICATION OF ADMISSIBILITY may be submitted to CBP via the Document Imaging System (DIS), e-mail, fax or physical presentation in hardcopy form to the appropriate CBP Port of Entry official for review.

Trade restrictions on these products harvested by gillnets in the UGC of Mexico will continue until a further order is issued by the court. The U.S. Import Certification of Admissibility as outlined above will be required for the HTS codes listed in this notice until further, superseding guidance from NMFS is issued regarding these trade restrictions and the protocol for Certification of Admissibility. Such guidance from NMFS will be communicated through various means, including a notice in the Federal Register and a subsequent CSMS message in coordination with CBP.

Any questions of CBP regarding this message should be forwarded to the Commercial Targeting & Analysis Center (CTAC) at CTAC@cbp.dhs.gov.